Morning Lookout: Flock Safety’s tumultuous 7 months in Eugene and Springfield; Christmas tree allergies?

Good morning, Lookout Eugene-Springfield,

Flock Safety, the maker of license-plate reader technology, had a brief and troubled history in Eugene and Springfield. The cameras first went up in Eugene on May 6, and on Dec. 5, both cities ended their contract with Flock. We put together a timeline of the tumultuous seven months.

In our Tuesday profile, Annie Aguiar spoke with Lisa Levsen of Neighbors Feeding Neighbors. Levsen is in charge of the daily churn of tasks that go into feeding people under the Washington Jefferson Bridge four days a week — in the face of city, police and neighborhood opposition.

Feeling sneezy during the holidays? It could be your Christmas tree. Ashli Blow looks at how seasonal allergies can start a lot sooner than you think.

If you need a gift for someone outdoorsy, Korrin Bishop has ideas. From parking passes to rain gear, from trail food to guidebooks, check out these gift ideas that celebrate Oregon landscapes and some small businesses that emerged here.

In case you missed these stories published Monday…
• Remembering Rob Reiner’s Oregon summer with ‘Stand by Me’
• The ‘How Do You Not Know This’ holiday quiz
• 3 from Eugene arrested in October robbery, shooting in Keizer

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Timeline: The brief, troubled history of Flock cameras in Eugene, Springfield

By Grace Chinowsky and Lillian Schrock-Clevenger

Early in 2025, the Eugene and Springfield police departments inked agreements with Flock Safety, a company that makes license-plate reader cameras. Now, 11 months later, both cities and the county have ended their contracts with the company. Here is a history of what we know about how it all happened.

Under the bridge, a woman who wants everyone to have breakfast

By Annie Aguiar

Lisa Levsen of Neighbors Feeding Neighbors is in charge of the daily churn of tasks that go into feeding people under the Washington Jefferson Bridge four days a week — in defiance of city, police and neighborhood opposition.